toranda  for  the  Guidance  of  Railroad  Officials,  Health  Officers,  Physicians  and  Others, 

RELATIVE  TO  WHAT  ARE 

iommoDicable  Diseases  Dangerous  to  the  Pule  Health.” 

With  reference  especially  to  Act  45,  Laws  of  1895  * 

|8]  [Leaflet  issued  by  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health.] 

TFIRST  EDITION  DECEMBER  10,  1895.] 

o  properly  provide  for  the  transportation  of  sick  persons  and  dead 
ies  in  a  manner  which  will  avoid  the  spread  of  dangerous  communi- 
le  diseases,  is  an  important  item  in  the  restriction  of  such  diseases, 
order  to  save  a  little  time  and  avoid  effort  in  giving  notice  and  obtain- 
permits,  it  is  quite  a  common  occurrence  for  interested  persons  to 
guise  the  real  cause  of  sickness  or  of  death. 
angerous  communicable  diseases  often  exist,  when  nothing  is  done 
the  physician,  the  householder,  or  the  health  officer,  for  their  restric- 
n,  because  physicians  not  only  do  not  always  report  them  to  the  health 
cer,  but  sometimes  call  these  cases  by  names  which  are  not  usually 
derstood  to  specify  a  “disease  dangerous  to  the  public  health.” 

Ihe  legislature  having  enacted  Act  45,  laws  of  1895,  the  State  Board  of 
alth  has  thought  it  an  opportune  time  to  place  before  railroad  officials, 
1th  officers,  physicians,  and  the  people  generally,  a  statement  of  just 
at  are  “communicable  diseases  dangerous  to  the  public  health,”  as  the 
ase  is  in  that  law;  and,  as  well,  a  few  of  the  ways  in  which  the  public- 
,1th  interests  are  being  disregarded  by  unscrupulous  persons;  and  also 
suggest  how  the  public  may  be  better  guarded  from  such  diseases: — 
ocument  No.  226,  issued  by  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health,  says: 
Michigan  the  most  dangerous  communicable  diseases,  named  in  the 
er  of  their  importance  as  causes  of  deaths,  are  consumption,  pneumonia, 
uenza,f  diphtheria,  typhoid  fever,  scarlet  fever,  measles,  whooping- 
gh  and  small-pox.”  Cholera  is  named  in  the  Act  45,  laws  of  1895. 
er  dangerous  communicable  diseases  are:  glanders,  rabies,  tetanus, 
hus  fever,  yellow  fever,  puerperal  fever,  erysipelas,  cerebro-spinal  men- 
itis,  and  German  measles  (sometimes  called  rotheln). 

"ost  of  these  dangerous  communicable  diseases  are  sometimes  called  by 
er  names.  As  examples,  consumption  is  called  phthisis,  phthisis  pulmo- 
is,  tuberculosis,  marasmus,  etc.;  pneumonia  is  called  inflammation  of 
i  lungs,  lung  fever,  etc.;  influenza  is  sometimes  called  grip;  diphtheria 
ailed  croup,  heart  failure,  etc.;  typhoid  fever  is  called  typho-malarial, 
larial,  remittent,  etc. ;  scarlet  fever  is  called  scarlatina,  canker-rash,  etc. ; 
erperal  fever  is  called  peritonitis;  small-pox  is  called  variola  and  varioloid; 
ies  is  usually  called  hydrophobia;  tetanus  is  commonly  called  lock-jaw. 

Act  45,  Laws  of  1895,  is  as  follows: 

act  to  prevent  the  introduction  of  a  dangerous  communicable  disease  in  any  town¬ 
ship,  city  or  village  in  Michigan ,  except  under  specified  regulations. 
ection  1.  The  People  of  the  State  of  Michigan  enact,  That  no  person  sick  with 
lera,  small-pox,  diphtheria,  scarlet  fever  or  any  other  communicable  disease  danger- 
to  the  public  health,  no  corpse  of  a  person  dead  from  one  of  the  above-named 
ases,  or  from  any  other  communicable  disease  dangerous  to  the  public  health,  and 
irticle  which  has  been  infected  or  is  liable  to  propagate  or  convey  any  such  disease, 
111  come  or  be  brought  into  any  township,  city  or  village  in  Michigan,  without  the 
ial  permit  of  the  board  of  health  or  of  the  health  officer  of  said  township,  city  or 
ge,  and  then  only  under  the  supervision  of  the  health  officer  of  said  township, 
or  village. 

ec.  2.  Whoever  shall  violate  the  provisions  of  section  one  of  this  act,  or  the  order 
he  health  officer  made  in  pursuance  thereof,  shall,  on  conviction,  be  deemed  guilty 
i  misdemeanor,  and  shall  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  not  more  than  one  hundred 
ars,  or  by  imprisonment  in  the  county  jail  not  exceeding  three  months,  or  by  both 
1  fine  and  imprisonment. 

pproved  March  29, 1895.  In  effect  on  and  after  August  30,  1895, 

Up  to  the  year  1889,  influenza  caused  few  deaths  in  Michigan;  but  in  1890, 1891  and 
l,  the  deaths  reported  from  it  averaged  over  1,000  per  year. 


077840756 

Whenever  the  cause  of  sickness  or  of  death  is  stated  as  one  oi  me  aboi 
mentioned  diseases  or  conditions,  even  if  the  local  physician  does  cert 
that  it  is  “not  contagious,”  the  provisions  of  Act  No.  45,  laws  of  18(, 
and  other  laws  for  the  restriction  of  disease  should  be  enforced;  also 
every  case  of  any  “fever  of  doubtful  origin  continuing  more  than  se'' 
days,”  also  in  every  case  of  any  fever  which  proves  fatal;  also  in  evt 
case  of  membranous  croup,  and  any  croup  which  proves  fatal. 

Instances  have  been  reported  to  this  office  where  an  unqualified  perg 
signed  the  special  permit  “required  by  Act  45,  Laws  of  1895.”  Care  should 
taken  by  every  person  responsible  for  the  movement  of  a  sick  or  an  infecl 
person,  corpse,  or  article,  that  the  required  “special  permit”  be  signed  by 
official  legally  qualified  to  do  so.  It  should  be  signed  by  the  health  ofik 

Every  person  responsible  for  the  introduction  into  any  locality  oi 
person  sick  with  a  dangerous  communicable  disease,  or  a  body  dead 
such  disease,  should  give  to  the  health  officer  of  that  locality,  timely  not: 
of  the  prospective  entry  of  such  person  or  body,  in  order  that  the  hea 
officer  may,  as  the  law  requires,  supervise  the  entry  of  such  diseased  p 
son  or  such  dead  body  into  his  jurisdiction. 

Sec.  14.  The  Board  of  Health  may  grant  permits  for  the  removal  of  any  nuisance, 
fected  article,  or  sick  person  within  the  limits  of  their  township,  [city  or  village, -Act 
of  1879]  when  they  shall  think  it  safe  and  proper  so  to  do.  §1646,  Howell’s  Status 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  a  permit  by  the  board  of  health  for 
removal  of  an  infected  article,  dead  body,  or  sick  person  is  good  only  wit) 
the  limits  of  the  township ,  city  or  village  in  which  the  permit  is  grant { 

No  health  officer  or  board  of  health  should  permit  the  removal 
another  jurisdiction  in  Michigan  of  a  person  sick  with  or  dead  froi 
disease  declared  by  the  Michigan  State  Board  of  Health  to  be  a  “  dise* 
dangerous  to  the  public  health”  without  first  seeing  the  “special  permi 
of  the  health  officer  of  the  township,  city  or  village  to  which  it  is  propog 
to  move  the  sick  person  or  dead  body,  nor  until  the  health  officer  of 
place  to  which  the  infected  person  or  body  is  to  go  has  had  such  noticej 
the  time  of  the  prospective  arrival  of  the  person  or  body  as  will  enal 
him  to  supervise  the  entry  and  disposal  as  the  law  provides. 

Every  railroad  or  other  transportation  agent  at  the  point  of  destinati 
of  any  such  sick  person  or  dead  body  should  notify  the  health  officer  of 
locality,  or  know  that  he  has  been  notified,  of  the  arrival,  and  if  possil 
of  the  prospective  arrival  of  a  person  or  body  which  under  Act  45,  L* 
of  1895,  requires  the  supervision  of  such  health  officer. 

Every  railroad  agent  or  other  person  receiving  an  application  for 
transportation  of  any  sick  person  or  dead  body,  should  first  learn  from 
health  officer  or  other  legal  health  authority  of  the  city,  village  or  toy 
ship  where  such  application  is  made,  the  disease  from  which  the  person, 
suffering  or  which  caused  the  death  of  such  body.  If  such  sickness 
death  is  or  has  been  caused  by  some  disease  declared  by  the  Michi^ 
State  Board  of  Health  to  be  “dangerous  to  the  public  health,”  such 
road  or  other  transportation  agent  should  refuse  to  transport  such  si 
person  or  dead  body  until  by  telegram  or  otherwise  a  special  permit  si 
have  been  procured  from  the  health  officer  of  the  township,  city  or  villf 
to  which  such  dead  body  or  sick  person  is  sought  to  be  transported.  Si 
railroad  or  other  transportation  agent  should  refuse  to  transport  such  si 
person  or  dead  body  until  convinced  that  the  health  officer  of  the  place 
destination  has  had  such  notice  of  the  prospective  entry  into  his  jurist 
tion  as  will  enable  him  to  supervise  its  entry,  as  the  law  provides. 

By  direction  of  the  State  Board  of  Health. 

Very  respectfully, 

Office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  TTTT’XT'R'V'  davut? 

Michigan  State  Board  of  Health,  MxLINxvX  x>. 

Lansing ,  Mich.,  Dec.  10,  1895.  '  Secretary 


